Sony, Panasonic Reveal 1 TB Archival Optical Disc Roadmap

Sony and Panasonic have revealed their latest disc-based storage roadmap, with 300 GB and larger Archival Disc media set to ship beginning next year.

According to the two companies, beginning in summer 2015, the new three-layer Archival Discs will be available in capacities of 300 GB, with 500 GB and 1 TB configurations to follow. The two described the new Archival Disc as "a new standard for professional-use, next-generation optical discs, with the objective of expanding the market for long-term digital data storage."

"In recent times, demand for archival capabilities has increased significantly in the film industry, as well as in cloud data centers that handle big data, where advances in network services have caused data volumes to soar," according to information released today by Sony and Panasonic. "Both Sony and Panasonic have successful experience working on the development of Blu-ray Disc technology. The two companies plan to actively promote this next-generation high-capacity optical disc standard in the professional field in order to offer an effective solution for protecting valuable data into the future."

The discs will use blue/violet lasers (405 nm wavelength) — the same as Blu-ray discs — and will feature narrower track pitch and higher linear density than previous-generation optical media, with a track pitch of 0.225 micrometers and a data bit length of 79.5 nm.

About the Author

David Nagel is editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Technology Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal and STEAM Universe. A 25-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art and business publications.